AFRICAN PRESENCES AND GERMAN MODERNIST ARTISTS 

Talk & Discussion with Nadia Denton

THURSDAY 05. NOVEMBER 2026 | 14H
KUNSTUNIVERSITÄT
tbc
Free Entry!

The beginnings of the German colonial enterprise from 1884 and Weimar period of 1918 – 1933 led to an increased presence of African people and African material culture in German speaking Europe. This presence came to reflect itself in the artistic output of key creative movements of the period including Dadaism, German Expressionism, Surrealism and Neue Sachlichkeit.

In this presentation, film curator and art history guide Nadia Denton will explore a selection of works by notable early 20th century German artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Hannah Hoch and Max Ernst showing how they were influenced by African material forms largely from ethnographical museum collections.

Nadia will explain how this new generation of German artist found inspiration in unexpected ways from African cultural forms such as the masquerade; and how this ancient African art form can be directly compared to modern day filmmaking.

Nadia Denton is an official African Heritage Guide across the V&A, Tate Modern and British Museum in the UK. Her ‘Igbo Worldview’ tour is the first African Heritage offering in the British Museum’s 272-year history. Earlier in 2026, the BBC profiled her Tate Modern ‘African Modernism and Afro-Surrealism tour’ across TV, radio, web and social media. She has a degree in Modern History from St. Hilda’s College, Oxford . www.nadiadenton.com

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